San Lo Mvu 55The Temptation by Māra
Pāli / Sanskrit:The Temptation by Māra
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The Sutta of the Temptation by Māra
AI Explanation — San Lo Mvu 55
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Source Status
The full source text of this item, designated San Lo Mvu 55, belonging to the Comparative Vinaya — Sanskrit collection in the Sectarian Buddhist Scriptures · Comparative system, has not yet been directly collated in the system’s textual database. The presentation below is not a translation of the original scripture, nor does it reproduce the Buddha’s words or specific details from an unverified source. Instead, it is a scholarly explanation based purely on the provided descriptive information: sectarian tradition, collection title, number, Vietnamese title, and English title. Readers who wish to consult the full text should turn to specialized scholarly editions of Sanskrit texts belonging to this tradition.
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Background
The designation San Lo Mvu suggests a connection with a Sanskrit text of a sectarian tradition, located in the category Comparative Vinaya — Sanskrit, that is, a group of materials collected for comparing disciplinary rules and related passages among different sectarian traditions. This category often includes Sanskrit passages parallel or similar to passages in the Pāli Vinaya or in Chinese and Tibetan canonical texts, helping researchers identify doctrinal divergence and similarity among schools.
In this context, the title “The Temptation by Māra” indicates that the content of this item focuses on the theme of Māra, the figure symbolizing obstruction on the path to liberation, and Māra’s act of tempting, challenging, or obstructing the Buddha or a practitioner. This is one of the themes widely appearing in many Buddhist traditions, from the Pāli discourses to Sanskrit texts of schools such as Mūlasarvāstivāda, Dharmaguptaka, and Sarvāstivāda.
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Content Identifiable from the Descriptive Information
Based on the title and classification system, several scholarly points can be identified as follows:
Regarding the figure Māra: In the Buddhist tradition, Māra is not only a divine being in a mythological sense, but also a symbol of the whole force of craving, ignorance, and bondage to saṃsāra. The name Māra comes from a semantic root related to death (mṛ/marati), suggesting that Māra is the embodiment of everything that obstructs the attainment of the Deathless, namely nirvana.
Regarding the act of temptation: The theme of “temptation” in Buddhist texts occurs in many forms: Māra appears with attractive arguments meant to shake the resolve of the practitioner, or uses images of power, sensuality, gain, and fame to pull the practitioner back toward the world. Dialogues between the Buddha or his disciples and Māra often end with Māra being recognized and rejected, expressing the strength of wisdom and concentration.
Regarding the comparative character: Because this item belongs to the Comparative Vinaya — Sanskrit collection, the original text is likely a Sanskrit passage placed alongside parallel texts from other traditions, allowing comparison of language, syntax, and narrative details. This kind of scholarly work is especially important for reconstructing the history of textual formation and identifying common sources of narratives.
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Meaning for Practice
The theme of Māra’s temptation has deep meaning for practice and has value throughout all Buddhist traditions. On the level of practice, the story of Māra reminds practitioners that obstacles do not only come from outside, but also arise within the mind, from sensual desire, doubt, heedlessness, and attachment to self.
When the Buddha or his disciples face Māra and are not shaken, this is an expression of right mindful awareness, the ability to recognize clearly the nature of every temptation without being swept away by it. “Recognizing Māra” is the first and most important step in escaping Māra’s influence: once the nature of craving and illusion has been clearly seen, they lose their tempting power.
For students of the Buddha-Dharma, a text on this theme may be used to contemplate the “inner Māras” in daily life: the inner voices that encourage neglect of practice, the temptations of material comfort and social status, as well as doubts about the path of liberation. To recognize these forces and not follow them, in the spirit of this discourse, is the most fundamental practice of liberation.
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Comparative Note
Because the full Sanskrit source text of San Lo Mvu 55 has not yet been directly collated in the present system, all specific details concerning narrative structure, secondary characters, geographical setting, or particular dialogue are not presented in this explanation in order to preserve scholarly fidelity. Researchers who wish to go more deeply should turn to critical editions of sectarian Sanskrit texts published in international scholarly journals and projects specialized in comparative Buddhist studies.
🌏 The Buddhist canon is vast — some sūtras (such as comparative Vinaya across schools, or untranslated Tibetan-canon texts) have to this day NEVER been translated into Vietnamese or English by anyone, scholars included. Rather than leave it blank, Inti AI offers a FAITHFUL summary grounded in the tradition — from the sūtra's title, origin and essence — so you can still reach this rare part of the treasury. Whenever an original translation exists, the app shows the original first.
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